r/AskAnAustralian

I’m done mates. Burnt the fuck out.

I need a job where I’m left alone to just get on with it.

No micro-managing, no dealing with people all day.

Can’t stand people any more. The public, customers, management, just can’t put up the BS any longer. No more office politics, no more people-pleasing, no more fake ness.

If I clear a bit under $1K per week I keep a roof over my head.

I’m able-bodied, can work independently and intelligent (not a total dumbarse).

Any suggestions?

​Hey everyone, bit of a field-testing question for the community.

​I’m a 45yo M who separated from my wife back in January. After a solid few months of processing everything, I’m finally starting to put myself out there socially again.

​I want to start carrying a condom on me just in case a blue moon aligns and something actually happens. However, after 20 years of monogamy—and having had the snip 15 years ago—I walked into Chemist Warehouse the other day and the range absolutely did my head in.

​Back in my day, you just grabbed a box of regular Durex or Ansell and called it a night. But looking at the shelves now, I feel like a time traveler. Since pregnancy isn't a factor for me, this is strictly about STI protection, comfort, and actually being able to feel something.

​Does the old Durex still cut it, or is there a new gold standard out there that doesn't feel like wearing a heavy-duty tarp? What are you blokes actually carrying, and what do the ladies/partners actually prefer these days? Cheers.

I'm currently a year 12 student and I got no clue what to do with myself after I graduate, I'm not really passionate about anything and I'm doing average in school, I'm scared I'll end up nowhere after this year is over. I'm just curious about those who used to be in my situation, how are you now?

Not exactly about culture but wanted to ask a broad cross section of Aussies. I know a few people who have travelled to Asia (eg South Korea) for it, but not a lot of people who have done it here. Obviously those posting in dedicated subreddits are not exactly a cross section.

I was in the doctor’s waiting room today and the woman seated across from me was talking to a friend, complaining that her daughter hardly visited and that she never saw the grandkids etc etc. The way she spoke, and some of the things she mentioned, made me really curious to hear the daughter’s side of things.

Edit: Thank you for sharing your stories. I’m so sorry you’ve been let down by the people who are supposed to love and care for you.

I've been thinking about a website where past tenants can leave honest, structured ratings on specific Australian rental properties — not the agent, the actual address. So before you sign, you can see what previous renters thought about the condition, landlord responsiveness, maintenance, etc.

Curious if this would actually be useful. Have you ever moved into a place and found it nothing like what you expected? Would you have used something like this? Would you bother leaving a review for a property you've left?

Not selling anything — just trying to figure out if this solves a real problem before building it.

Has anyone heard the ad on the radio recently from the TAC that claims drivers who have less than 5 hrs sleep are 4 times more likely to have an accident whilst driving on our roads? I'd like to know where/how they got their statistics or how they conducted the experiments to produce such data. Any thoughts?

It is really confusing me. how do Australians use cheers? I feel like they say it's very often, but I just not sure how do people use it? do they use it like when they want to say thank you, they will say like cheers mate?

My car is due for service tomorrow, and I have it booked with the service department of the cars brand. It was bought in 2009, only has 130,000kms on it, one the Japanese makes, 2.0litre engine, good on fuel, never had any issues.

I get a call from the sales division of this brand, and she asks if I am interested in a new car because "instead of spending money on it", I could put that towards a new car instead.

The car was fully paid long ago and I don't spend anything on it except on fuel, tires and servicing once a year.

I am now EXTREMELY worried the service division will now do something to my car, so I have to spend a ton of money on it and will think a new car is a good idea!!!

Should I be worried or is this paranoia unfounded? Should I be cancelling the appointment tomorrow and going with a different mechanic???

I have not said the brand, it's one of the popular Japanese brands.

What should I do?

EDITED to update that I have cancelled my appointment with the dealer for tomorrow and gotten a recommendation for a mechanic from an auto electrics shop that worked on my a/c a while ago. The auto electrician seemed like a really trustworthy guy. Hope this recommendation will pan out!

Thanks for all replies, the consensus seems to be to ditch the dealer.

I recently lost my job and was advised I would not be paid for 3 months via Job Seeker due to being too good at saving (which I find kind of hilarious).

However, I have still been shown I have to meet job obligations. Can anyone shed some light on the fact I am needing to do that while not being paid?

Regardless, I have had some interviews recently and hope to get something soon, but I find it kind of silly overall.

My partner and I moved from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast about 8 months ago for his work but also because we’d always dreamed of living up here. We’re both almost 30 and have been together for 10 years. We have a really solid relationship, a great life together, and honestly feel so ready to start a family.

The original plan was that once we moved, I’d find some part time admin work while my partner remained the main income earner. The problem is… I still haven’t been able to find work. I genuinely didn’t think it would take this long.

Financially we’re okay on his wage and we live pretty comfortably renting, but obviously having a baby adds extra costs. The biggest thing stressing me out is the Centrelink parental leave payment requirements. From what I understand, you need to have worked for 10 prior before giving birth, and I keep feeling like every month that passes is pushing our plans further away.

I think what’s upsetting me most is that I feel emotionally ready now, but practically I feel like I “shouldn’t” until I get a job. It’s starting to feel like my inability to find work is the only thing holding us back from starting the next chapter of our lives.

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has been in a similar position?

Hi there

I'm currently with Optus and ready to make the shift. I'm thinking about Belong and Aldi has contenders, but am interested in hearing other people's experiences.

What I know so far:
- Aldi is a part of the Telstra reseller network, so it's not 100% like-for-like coverage, but it *can be* close.
- Belong is on Telstra, so the coverage is exact (correct me if I'm wrong)
- Aldi has a roll over for unused data
- have no real idea about customer service

My use case is:
- standard calls and text
- Lots of data for streaming / travelling
- would like to use my mobile in Tasmania and not get caught out (like with Optus).
- Currently, I am paying $60 monthly

Any thoughts on this will be appreciated.
Thank you

I got my license yesterday and ordered a P plate. I just received it and its background is white and the P is green. When I received it, it felt different. I googled and figured it’s for QLD. For some reason I can’t post the picture here. Please let me know if it’s illegal to use this plate in Vic?

Saw a thread on r/Australia about the stingiest thing you've seen someone do, and it seems that reusing teabags and stealing toilet paper from the public loo has been unfortunately witnessed by many of us. Wanted to start a more positive thread where we can share our heartwarming experiences because there's still good in this world, and nothing's more true blue in my eyes than lending a hand, even if we aren't the richest out there.

I'd like to start off by shouting out one of my uni mates. When I was like, 19, he'd bum ciggies off of me and another friend because he couldn't really afford them at the time. After getting a solid job and his first paycheck, he went down to the Coles and bought me and our friend a 40 deck of Winfield Blues each. To 19 year old broke student me, that was one of the kindest things that really cemented our friendship, especially as I don't think I'd given him anything close to 40 durries [and they were all the shitty cheaper brands too, lol]. It meant a lot.

So, fellow Aussies and visitors, what's the most generous thing you've witnessed/experienced here?

G'day everyone.

I have a lovely housemate... however,his living standards are slightly lower than mine. I tutor from home in the afternoons and he has a clothes horse at the front door with his underpants on it all the time. Also, he never opens his curtains and leans things inside the room against them. Also, he tends to only look after his own interests and doesn't seem to want to contribute to the house. I made it very clear when he moved in that we share things even though there is no cleaning roster... it's expected that people will chip in regularly. It's been great with previous housemates and I've rarely had to mention anything (I'm the lease-holder)

It's driving me crazy and I don't know how to address it. I'm worried I'll say things angrily. How do I bring this up?

Hi! My dad god his citizenship this Feb 2026 and is going back to our home country tomorrow. He’ll be staying there for approx 3 days. When he comes back, he’ll use the same foreign passport to come in. Has anyone done this? Does he need to apply for an emergency aus passport? Will bringing a printed copy of his citizenship suffice to certify he is an Aus Citizen? Thanks heapssa

If anyone in the medical field could answer this. I'm on the public hospital wait list for a biopsy I'm category 2 which is within 90 days. Is it possible to get the surgery moved up sooner if your symptoms worsen and you're experiencing abnormal bleeding?? Thanks

Hoping there are a few farm managers in amongst the 801k members in this sub.

I work as an operator for a corporate almond farm in rural South Australia (technically Victoria) and I am coming up to my performance review next week. We have two Almond properties and one pistachio farm under our farm banner along with cars and trucks.

Everyone has the same career progression plan, move up into management, but its an option if one of those managers leave. The manager who is newest has been there for 24 years, so current management is slow to offer training as none are even considering leaving.

I want to be different, I want to explore other progression avenues as a way to getting out of the tractor before I'm 50. I love the company I'm with, pay is decent at 30 odd an hour and I'm given free reign when it comes to when i start my day and how long I work for, as long as I have 80h in my pay cycle. What paths have some use to larger corporate farms? I'm at a complete loss.